FES-UA purchasing guide 2026-27: before you buy

Before spending FES-UA funds, check the category, provider and approval requirements in the official guidelines. This companion helps you prepare your questions; Step Up makes account-specific decisions.

Open the right documents

Use the official 2026-27 FES-UA Purchasing Guidelines, dated July 1, 2026, together with the Step Up 2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook. The guidelines describe spending rules. Your scholarship organization supplies its own administrative procedures. PEP instructions are not a substitute for FES-UA instructions.

Check the category before the price

Find the exact category. Read its conditions and the prohibited-items appendix before buying. A familiar product name alone is not enough to decide.

Under the July 1, 2026 guidelines, unlisted items or services need pre-authorization before purchase. Appendix B also lists categories requiring it. Prohibited purchases are not considered for pre-authorization. Approval does not confirm provider eligibility or available funds. See printed pages 2-3 and Appendix B of the official guidelines.

Ask a question that can be answered

Keep this note in your own records. Send any necessary personal documentation through the official program portal, not to SpectrumBeacon.

1. Item or service: what exactly am I requesting?
2. Category: which guideline section appears to apply?
3. Provider: what credentials or other conditions must I check?
4. Approval: is pre-authorization needed before I order?
5. Payment: is this direct pay or an out-of-pocket reimbursement request?
6. Records: which documents will the program require?

Ask for clarification before committing money when the answer is unclear. Save the reply beside the guideline version you used.

Keep approval and payment records together

Step Up's 2026-27 handbook requires approved pre-authorization before placing a MyScholarShop order when authorization is required. Its purchasing limits still apply in MyScholarShop. Keep the approval reference and check your available balance.

For reimbursement, retain the invoice or receipt, proof of payment and any required provider credentials. The handbook says review and processing may take up to 60 days after all necessary documents arrive. A request put on hold restarts that review period when the requested information arrives. This is not a guaranteed payment date. See the handbook's MyScholarShop Guidelines and Reimbursement Timeline sections, checked September 12, 2026.

Use the FES-UA reimbursement checklist to prepare the submission. If your school uses FACTS, see how to obtain billing records.

If a request is held or denied

Save the notice. Identify the missing document or stated reason, then compare it with the exact source section. Ask Step Up what must change before resubmitting. Keep a dated record of each response. Do not assume an earlier approval covers a different item or a later program year.

For changing notices, check recent source updates. For awards and application steps, use the FES-UA program guide.

This is independent navigation information, not medical or legal advice. It does not approve purchases or determine your child's eligibility.